An Untold Past An Unsure Future
by Catalina H
Summary: Don meets a young agent with an attitude on a case, while Don and Charlie must deal with a family secret that their parents had kept hidden from them. What happens when truths are revealed? Disclaimer: I don't own NUMB3RS.
1. Chapter 1

**Note:This has no relation to my other NUMB3RS stories, it is not part of that series. I just got this in my head and had to write it down. Enjoy!**

An Untold Past... An Unsure Future...

Chapter 1

"Hey Gary, what do you got?" Don asked as he and his team arrived at the crime scene.

"Male, mid-forties, stabbed sixteen times," the lieutenant answered.

"So, why are we here?" Don asked, slightly confused. "Gang killings are your thing, right?"

"Not when the vic is FBI."

"Was he undercover?" Megan asked.

"No, but his partner is," David answered as he shut his cell phone. "That was the U.S. Attorney. Apparently, they've been working a major smuggling operation that has 18th Street Mexicali ties."

"Yeah, they've been smuggling drugs back and forth to Mexico for years," Lt. Walker agreed. "What's so special about it now?"

"They think some of the money is being used to fund a terrorist cell, probably here in L.A.," David replied.

"OK, so where's his partner?" Don asked.

"Still undercover. They don't think their cover's been blown yet."

"Benny Gonzalas and Pedro Solas," Lt. Walker said, pointing to the pictures up on the screen. "Two major players in 18th Street's drug cartel. If the agent inside is smart they'll try to get in with these guys," he explained.

"Guess it's a good thing I'm smart then," a voice in the back of the room said sarcastically. Everyone turned to see who it was.

"You're Agent Michaels partner?" Don asked skeptically. He was eyeing the young agent in disbelief. She couldn't be more than thirty, jet black hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, and an ice cold stare.

"Got a problem with that?" She challenged. Don raised his eyebrows, everyone else was staring at each other.

"Guess not," Don answered. "Special Agent Don Eppes, I'm heading up this investigation," he told her, extending his hand.

"Sam Carson," she stated, shaking his hand. "I worked with Michaels for the past two years. Anything I can do to help catch the guy who did this, just let me know," she offered.

"Alright, how about you tell us what you know about these two," Don replied, gesturing toward the pictures.

"Benny Gonzalas, he may be high up on the food chain, but he's just the brain," she told them. "He's the logical thinker, about the only one who uses his head. He comes up with the plans, but he rarely ever gets his hands dirty."

"What about the other guy?"

"Pedro...," she started, taking a deep breath. "He's one you need to watch out for. He's got a temper and a happy trigger finger. He's the brawn to Benny's brain, he does most of the dirty work. And he's scary, so be careful with him," she warned.

"How do you know all this?" Walker asked, taken aback. "It took us two years to figure that out."

"I've been undercover with these guys for over two months. I know practically everything about them. I can even tell you how they take a piss," she retorted. Carson and Walker stared challengingly at each other for a minute before David broke the silence.

"So would either of them be capable of doing it?"

"Doing it? Yeah," Agent Carson said, turning away from the lieutenant. "Would they? I don't know."

"I thought you said that you knew them?" Walker asked sarcastically. She shot him a scowl.

"I do," she replied firmly. "But they don't really do anything without reasons. Besides, I've never seen Gonzalas that violent before, and Solas usually goes for execution style."

"So, has your cover been blown?" Colby asked.

"I doubt it," she answered. "They didn't let it show that they knew this morning." Don gave her a look, and she anticipated his next question. "I wasn't about to come in here and make up some bullshit. The million dollar question, so to speak, is whether or not my cover was blown, since that's the most reasonable explanation to why Michaels was killed." Carson paused a second before continuing. "But my cover is still intact, so it's back to square one. Who killed Agent Michaels and why?"

Don started delegating. "OK, David, you and Megan make up a list of possible suspects. See if we can match any names to the list Charlie's getting for us." They nodded and went to work. "Gary, you take Colby and see if you can dig up any witnesses or security footage, anything that can help." They nodded and left. Don turned to Agent Carson. "You're with me." She followed him outside.

When they got outside, Don stopped away from the crowds of people going in and out. He leaned against the railing while staring at the young agent who just returned the stare and waited for him to say something. They stood there for a few minutes before Don finally spoke.

"Look, I don't mind having you on this investigation. In fact, you'd probably be a good asset." He pushed off the railing and walked over to stop in front of her. He looked her in the eye, and she returned the gaze. "But I need to know where your loyalties are."

"What? You think I've flipped?" She inquired, curious.

"No, I'm pretty sure you haven't," he half-joked, but then turned serious. "I just need to know that you're not gonna go rogue on me and do something stupid, or worse screw up our case!"

She looked a little taken aback, but quickly recovered herself. She looked at Don, sizing him up, before she spoke.

"Look, Michaels was a good agent and as far as I know a good guy too, but I'm not going to risk my career for him." Carson looked Don straight in the eye. "I have worked too hard, for too long to throw it all away!" She paused, taking a minute to compose herself. "Now look, I don't know you and you don't know me. I don't expect you to trust me, but I do expect you to let me do my job."

Don just stared at her, somewhat shocked by her attitude. He'd never seen a young agent this unconcerned about standing up to a superior. _I like this kid, she's got balls_, Don thought as he sized her up more carefully than he had in the office.

"Alright, I won't keep you from doing your job, but if you hinder my investigation in any way..."

"You'll knock me flat on my ass?" She finished for him.

"More or less," Don said with a smile.

"Fair enough," Carson agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When Don and Agent Carson got back to the office, after retrieving the files she had on her case, Lt. Walker and Colby had returned with security footage from a store across the street from where Agent Michaels was killed. It was playing on the screen, with all of them watching. David noticed something and paused it.

"Hey Megan, isn't that one of the guys from our list?" he asked, pointing to a guy in the video.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied, rummaging through the files they'd put together. She found the one she was looking for. "Here it is. Yeah, his name's Frank Thomalson."

"Oh good, you already had his name," Charlie said as he entered the room, carrying maps and his computer. "He had one of the highest probabilities on my list, so I went on and mapped a hot zone he might be in," he continued, David and Colby grabbed the map to hang up on the board.

"Just when I think you can't surprise me," Walker joked.

"Nice to see you again too," Charlie replied.

"Oh, Agent Carson, this is my brother Charlie. He's a professor of applied mathematics at CalSci, he does some consulting work for us," Don told her. "Charlie, this is Agent Carson."

"Nice to meet you," Charlie said, shaking her extended hand.

"You too," she replied. After Charlie had walked back over to set up his computer Carson turned back to Don. "A math professor?" she inquired skeptically.

"Hey, he does a lot of work for us. He's a big help, you'd be surprised," Don said defensively.

"No, that's not what I meant," she clarified. Charlie began rambling some math mumbo-jumbo about how he was able to find the hot zone. Carson took a seat by Don and whispered, "What I mean was, if I'd had a math genius brother growing up, I would have tied him up and duck-taped his mouth shut." Don silently laughed.

"I tried," he told her with a smile. "Unfortunately our parents caught me." She smiled too.

"How long were you grounded?"

"A month." They both silently laughed as Charlie finished his explanation.

"So using that, I was able to produce this hot zone," Charlie told them, pointing to the section of the map. "I can say with 86 certainty that you'll be able to find him within this area."

Agent Carson got up and went to get a closer look at the hot zone Charlie had produced. She seemed slightly confused.

"Is there a problem?" Charlie asked her.

"Hey Reeves, can I see that picture of Thomalson from his file?" Carson asked, ignoring Charlie's question.

"Sure." Megan handed her the picture.

"What's up?" Don asked, walking over to Agent Carson, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"I know him," she answered. "He goes by Frankie T, he's a bookie. 18th Street makes all their bets go through him."

"You sure it's him?" Don asked, looking over his file.

"Positive," she replied. Turning back to Charlie, she answered his earlier question. "He lives here," she said, pointing to a spot on the map outside the hot zone.

"What?" Charlie asked in shock.

"Are you sure?" Don asked, surprised.

"I'm positive. I've been to his house before," Carson told them confidently. "He lives here," she reinforced, pointing to the spot on the map again.

"But...but..." Charlie was starting to stutter. "That spot had a less than 1 probability."

"Well, then your math is wrong," Agent Carson shrugged.

Charlie was thoroughly stunned. David and Colby looked at one another, not sure whether to be shocked that Charlie was wrong or humored by the fact that Agent Carson had told him that bluntly. Megan and Lt. Walker were trying to hide their smiles, obviously humored by Charlie's face. Don also saw Charlie's face and tried to reassure him.

"Don't worry about it, buddy. You probably just had bad data," he said, patting his brother on the shoulder. Don turned back to his team. "David, you and Colby go pick up this guy. I wanna talk to him."

"On it," David replied. He and Colby got up and left.

"Carson, you look through your files, see what you can find. I want you to help Megan get together anything we know about this guy." After she complied, Don turned back to Charlie. "Look, they're going to get you some better data, then you can have another go. OK?"

"Yeah, OK."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Agent Carson, Don, and Megan were watching as David and Colby tried interrogating Thomalson. They were getting nowhere. Don decided to give it a go.

"Do I get a lawyer yet?" Thomalson asked as Don came in.

"You need one?" Don asked innocently.

"Are you charging me with something or can I go home now?" he countered.

"Just wanna ask you a few questions that's all," Don said as he sat down in the chair opposite Thomalson. When he didn't say anything Don continued. "So where were you last night?"

"Around."

"Around, huh? Anywhere around here?" Don slid him a picture of Agent Michaels' body.

"Oh yeah, dead FBI dude. I heard about that. Too bad," Thomalson replied sarcastically.

"Heard about it, huh?" Don inquired as he stood up and walked around the table. "Sure you didn't see anything?"

"How could I? I was across town, visiting my sister and her family."

"Well, see that's a problem for two reasons. One, you don't have a sister, you're an only child. Two, isn't that you, here?" Don put the surveillance photo in front of him.

"So, that means I killed the guy?" Thomalson asked mockingly.

"No, I just wanna know what you saw."

"I didn't see nothing, I didn't hear nothing," he replied defiantly.

Don's cell phone rang. "Yeah?" he answered, staring at Thomalson. After a couple minutes he said, "OK."

Ten minutes later he came out of the interrogation room and joined the others.

"He say anything?" David asked.

"He gave us the name of a lawyer. Here's the address," Don replied, handing David a sheet of paper.

"Hey, I've heard of this guy," Lt. Walker said, seeing the name and address. "I'll get a couple of my guys to do some digging."

"OK, sounds good." Don then turned to Agent Carson. "Not a bad idea."

"Thought it might help," she replied calmly.

"Come on, you're with me," Don said, motioning for her to follow him.

"Where we going?" she asked.

"To give this new information to Charlie."

When Don and Agent Carson arrived at the craftsman, it seemed like no one was around.

"Wait here," Don told her.

She was looking around at some pictures when Alan came in.

"Oh...hello," he said, surprised to see her there. "Who are you?"

"Agent Carson," she said, extending her hand, which he shook.

"You work with Don?" he asked as he sat down his groceries on the table.

"On this case." Just then Don returned.

"Oh hey dad, have you seen Charlie?"

"I think he's out in the garage," his father replied.

"OK, thanks." He started to head to the garage, but paused. "I'll be right back," he told Carson, she nodded.

"So, Carson?" Alan asked, interested. "I used to know some Carsons."

"Congratulations," she said, uncomfortable making small talk with a coworker's father.

"You know them? Mark and Janice Carson?" he asked, trying to sound casual. She just stared at him for a minute.

"They were my parents," she replied hesitantly, getting even more uncomfortable talking about her family.

"Were?" he asked, concerned. "I haven't talked to them in a long time." He paused. "Out of touch I guess would be a better term," he added.

"They died. Car crash, about nineteen years ago," she told him, even more hesitantly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he said genuinely.

"It's fine."

Carson was saved from any more uncomfortable conversation when Don and Charlie came back.

"Agent Carson," Charlie acknowledged. She nodded and smiled back. "Well, I should be able to provide some new insights by morning. Right now I'm a little busy."

"Oh, that right. Larry was bringing that kid by," Alan remembered.

"Yeah, and he's smart too," Charlie confirmed. "In fact, I thought they were coming in."

Just then, Larry and a teenage boy came into the room. They were chatting about something when the boy looked up.

"Mom!" he said, running over and squeezing Agent Carson.

"Bri? What are you doing here?" she asked, returning the hug, as the three Eppes stared in shock.

"Professor Fleinhardt brought me so I could meet Professor Eppes," he told her quickly. "What about you? I heard about Agent Michaels. Are you okay? What happ-"

"Wait, what do you mean you heard about Agent Michaels? Who told you?" she interrupted, with a concerned look on her face.

"Some come," he told her. "I think he was a lieutenant or something." Don and Carson shared a strange look.

"What did he want?" she asked, trying not to sound too concerned.

"I dunno really," he replied. "He just told me about Michaels and asked a couple questions."

"What kind of questions?" This time it was Don who was asking.

"I'm not sure. They were just weird," he shrugged. "Is something wrong?" He was looking at his mother, who smiled back.

"No, nothing to worry about," she assured him. He was still looking at her though. "Don't worry, Brian. It's nothing. I promise," she said, holding his jaw so he'd look her in the eye.

"OK." He seemed satisfied, but gave her another squeeze anyway.

"What?" Carson asked, seeing shock on all the men's faces, with the exception being Larry, who she'd already met through Brian.

"You're a mom," Charlie stuttered in awe.

"Yeah, I'm a mom," she replied, in only a slightly sarcastic tone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Agent Carson arrived at the FBI office she found Don waiting for her outside. She took a deep breath, a swig of her coffee, and walked over to him.

"Hey," he muttered to her.

"What's up?" she asked casually.

"Just want to make sure you don't kill him," he half-joked. She chuckled.

"He had no right," Carson told him seriously. Don nodded, turning to face her.

"I know that," he agreed. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you beat the crap out of him." She started to say something, but he held up a hand to stop her. "No, now listen for a second. You're a damn good agent, but that attitude is going to get you into trouble. You said you've worked too hard, for too long to throw your career away to get revenge against Michaels' killer. Why would you be willing to throw it away for something this little?" She just stared at him.

"You're right," she agreed quietly, leaning against the railing. Don noticed the look in her eyes.

"So, what's really wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, slightly confused.

"It's not the thing with Walker that's really bugging you. So what is it?" he pushed, leaning against the railing next to her.

"You were partially wrong." He just stared at her. "The thing with Walker has a lot to do with it," she clarified. "Look, Michaels was my partner. Your partner's suppose to have your back."

"You think it was your fault he was killed?" She shook her head.

"No, I know there was nothing I could do. The thing is, though, in this job we never really know if we're gonna make it home or not." Don sighed, he knew what she meant. "Now, Brian sees it as though, since my partner didn't make it home to his family, maybe I won't make it back to him." Don was watching her expression. "How am I supposed to look my son in the eye and promise him that I will come home?" Carson asked, turning to face him.

"You can't," he replied dismally.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes before Don changed the subject.

"So...You're a mom?" he said, more as a statement than a question.

"You read my file, you knew I had a kid," was her reply. He chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess I just wasn't expecting..."

"Him to be half my age," she finished.

"Yeah." He looked at her cautiously before asking, "Do you mind if I ask?" She just smiled.

"I had my fifteenth birthday a few weeks before he was born."

"What about the dad? No offense, but he doesn't look that much like you." She laughed.

"None taken, I always thought he looked like his father."

"Is that a bad thing?" Don asked, seeing her face.

"No, it's just...there's a lot of history there," she told him sorrowfully. "He died when Brian was two. I feel bad Brian never got a chance to know his dad. It's always just been me and Brian."

Charlie had already arrived at the office, and was explaining his new theory on how to find the killer. He was writing one of his equations on the board when Don and Agent Carson walked in.

"Oh good, your brother was just trying to explain one of his fancy equations," Lt. Walker told Don. Agent Carson walked over and stood in front of him, just staring. "Can I help you?" he asked her impatiently.

"You go anywhere near my son again and I'll break your face," she told him calmly.

"Now wait just -" he started, standing.

"If you have something to say, you say it to me. Leave Brian out of this," she warned, getting in his face.

"Looks like everything I heard about you was right. No wonder your partner's dead, he trusted you," Walker spat back.

At that comment Carson snapped, shoving Walker, who shoved back. Before it escalated too much Don, David, and Colby stepped in. They were able to break them up quickly. Don was in the middle, holding them apart, Colby and David there to grab them if they went after each other again.

"Calm down," Don told Carson. "We need to talk," he said to Lt. Walker, who followed him out into the hall.

"You need to watch her, Eppes," Walker told him when they got in the hall.

"I know what I need to watch, Gary," Don said firmly, staring at the lieutenant. "You were out of line too."

"Excuse me?" Walker snapped back.

"She would've let it go after she told you to back off, but you had to push it."

"Oh come on, Eppes, pushing buttons is a part of life. If she can't handle that, she's not much of an agent."

"Pushing buttons is one thing, blaming her for Michaels' death and confronting her fourteen year old son is another. You made it personal!" Don said exasperatedly. "I saw the look on that kid's face, he was afraid something might've happened to her too. You're the one who made him think that." Walker took a deep breath. "And seriously Gary, what would you have done if someone put the blame for your partner's death on you?"

"Fine, I see your point," Walker surrendered.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lt. Walker and Agent Carson seemed to be tolerating each other better after their little scuffle, and after Don chastised them both for it. Charlie was explaining his theory on how to identify a possible motive. He had written the equation up on the board, though no one besides him understood it.

"So, how long should it take?" Don asked.

"Amita's running it right now. We should have results in a few hours."

"OK, sounds good."

"Not bad Professor," Carson told Charlie, who just smiled.

As everyone moved around to do their own work, Carson's cell phone rang. While she was talking to the caller, Charlie came over to Don.

"Hey, what's up?" Don asked, while looking over some papers.

"Dad's still acting weird," Charlie replied, giving his brother a worried look.

"Oh come on Charlie, we went over this last night," Don sighed. "He seems fine. If anything, he's just a little distracted."

"I dunno, it feels like he's avoiding something."

"Why do you say that?" Charlie gave him an innocent look.

"Because every time I asked him what was wrong he told me it was none of my business."

"OK, fine. I'll talk to him," Don finally agreed.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Carson hung up her phone and walked over to where Don and Charlie were.

"Alright, I gotta go brief the U.S. Attorney. Have you seen that -" Don handed her a file. "Ah, great. Thanks," she said, then turned to leave.

Don stopped by the craftsman on his lunch break. When he got there, Alan was looking over some papers at the dining room table. After he saw Don, he quickly gathered all the papers together into one pile.

"Oh, hey Donnie. What are you doing here?" Alan asked, voice sounding a little nervous.

"Just thought I'd swing by," Don replied casually, noticing his father's odd behavior.

"I was just gonna grab a glass of water, want one?" Alan was trying to distract Don.

"Sure, why not." Alan nodded.

After Alan had gone into the kitchen, Don went over to look at the papers Alan had left. He flipped through a couple before he realized what they were. _What the hell?_ Don thought.

"What do you think you're doing?" Alan yelled. Furious Don was going through his stuff.

"Me? What about you?" Don snapped back. "Why the hell do you have a background check on Agent Carson?"

"It's none of your business!" Alan quickly grabbed the stack of papers and started walking into the other room.

"The hell it isn't! I'm working with her on this case. You met her what, once?" Don retorted, following Alan.

"Look, I just wanted to know a few things about her," Alan said reluctantly, but much calmer. Don looked very confused.

"Like what?"

"Like if she is who I think she is," Alan replied exasperatedly.

"Is she?"

"Yes."

They were silent for a minute.

"So who did you think she was?" Don asked, curious.

"You mean who **is** she?" Don rolled his eyes, but nodded. Alan sighed. "Charlie!" Alan called his younger son, who started making his way into the living room.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked. He and Don shared an apprehensive glance at one another.

"This is something you both need to hear," Alan told them, taking a deep breath. "You might want to sit down." They did. Alan took another deep breath. "Your mother and I knew we couldn't keep this from you guys forever. Well...," Alan dove in, explaining everything to his sons, who listened in shock.

Don and Charlie couldn't believe what they were hearing. Most of all, they couldn't believe they never knew. They just sat there, listening to Alan tell them everything. Only occasionally did they glance at each other, or Alan. They were stunned.

"Are you serious?" Charlie asked his father, after he'd finished the story. Alan nodded.

"Yes, Charlie, I am serious," Alan told his youngest son. "Here's the proof," he said, pointing to his stack of papers.

Charlie quickly flipped through the stack of papers, still stunned by what his father had told him. Alan just stood there, silent, as he watched his sons' reactions.

"Oh man," Don finally muttered after processing it all.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

At the office, Don seemed distracted, but nobody said anything, assuming it was because of the case. Amita had brought the results by the craftsman for Charlie. He had given them to Don before taking off to CalSci. Don was now filling everyone in on what Charlie had gotten them.

"OK, so Charlie's math says Agent Michaels' death probably has something to do with this company," Don was explaining, pointing to the board.

"What do they do?" Colby asked.

"Some real-estate company," David told them. "They buy all these properties, then sell them to the highest bidder. Their most recent purchase was a hospital they had closed down. A lot of residents around there are pretty upset, now they have to travel twice the distance to get to the nearest hospital."

"Son of a bitch," Carson muttered quietly. Everyone looked at her.

"What?" Don asked.

"Benny, Benny Gonzalas," she told them. "His son was in a big car crash, died on the way to the hospital. Paramedics said if that hospital hadn't been shut down, he would've lived."

"Losing a child would certainly be enough to push him over the edge, but why go after Michaels?" Megan asked.

"Because Michaels helped close it down," Colby said, looking up from a file.

"And it's personal," Carson added. "So Benny would go as far as he felt necessary."

"Which explains sixteen stab wounds," Megan concluded. "Crime of passion."

"So, how do we find him?" Walker asked.

"**We** don't. I do," Carson stated, starting to leave.

"Hold on a sec," Don said, stopping her. "If he went after Michaels, maybe he found out you're FBI."

"I can take care of myself," she told him.

"I know that, but we're gonna need your help catching him. I'd rather not risk him killing you first. Go see if Charlie can help you track him down, then we'll move in."

"OK."

Charlie was scribbling furiously on his blackboard. When he realized that numbers wouldn't help him here he just started erasing everything. Agent Carson walked into his office, though he was unaware, and noticed his behavior.

"Not going well?" she asked, causing Charlie to nearly jump out of skin.

"Sheesh, oh it's you," he said, taking deep breaths. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Something wrong?" He still seemed nervous.

"What? Why do you ask?"

"Because A, you just erased an entire blackboard full of numbers, B, you're jumpy, and C, you're sweating," she observed.

"Is there something I can help you with Agent Carson?" he asked pointedly, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, your brother said you could help me find someone," she told him. She knew he was hiding something, but decided to drop it.

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem."

After about ten, fifteen minutes Charlie had all the information he needed. He started working on an equation while Carson just sat there, waiting.

"OK, it shouldn't be too much longer," Charlie told her after he input everything into his computer.

"Sounds good," she replied, but sensed the tense air between them. "OK, look I know you think I'm a skeptic or something, and I don't put much faith in your math, b-"

"You don't do you?" Charlie interrupted. "The only reason you're asking now is because Don made you. Am I right?" She stared at him.

"Yeah, you're right. Your brother did tell me to ask you," Carson told him bluntly. "But he believes you, that your math works. And you were right, about the motive." Charlie was confused now. "Look, this job is dangerous. We have to depend on each other everyday. So, if your brother says that your math is gonna increase our chances of getting home safe, I believe him. At the end of the day, I wanna get home to Brian, and if your math helps me do that then I'll use it."

They looked at each other for a few minutes, seemingly coming to an unspoken understanding.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"OK, it's done," Charlie said abruptly, printing something off his computer. Agent Carson walked over to him. "This should give you a few ideas of where he might be," Charlie continued.

"Thanks Professor," Carson replied, grabbing the maps and turning to leave.

"Hey," Charlie stopped her. She turned to look at him. He paused a second, debating what to say. "Be careful," he told her. Carson looked confused and curious.

"Thanks," she said hesitantly, unsure of what had come over him.

After she left, Charlie sat down in his chair. _I wonder if she knows, _he thought. Charlie exhaled in frustration, and went back to scribbling unhelpful numbers on his blackboard.

Amita came in and found him like this. She had a concerned look on her face.

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked him. Charlie turned around and looked at her. "You found out why your dad was acting strange, I presume," she observed. Charlie nodded and sighed. Amita gave him a look that told him to tell her.

"Do you remember Agent Carson?" he asked.

"Yeah, the agent working with Don on this case," she confirmed. Charlie nodded.

"My dad did a background check on her."

"Why?" Amita was confused.

"To see if she was who he thought she was," Charlie answered, trying to stall telling her the real reason.

"Well, judging by the way you're acting, she is. So who is she?" Amita pressed. Charlie took a deep breath.

"Mine and Don's younger sister," he told her reluctantly. Amita's jaw dropped.

"How?" she asked. She looked at Charlie and saw something on his face. "Alan didn't..."

"No, no he didn't have an affair," Charlie replied, shaking his head. Amita seemed confused. "Apparently, our parents and the Carsons used to be close friends, but the Carsons couldn't have kids. Mom and dad already had me and Don when mom found out she was pregnant again. They gave her to the Carsons to adopt," Charlie explained.

"Well, that was very generous of your parents," Amita tried comforting him.

"I guess," Charlie reluctantly agreed. Turning serious, he continued, "Except they died when she was ten. And why wouldn't our parents tell us?"

"I don't know Charlie," Amita sighed. "Does she even know?"

"I doubt it."

"Then, you and Don weren't the only ones who were lied to," Amita tried reasoning.

"Yeah, but how are we supposed to act around her now that we know?" Charlie asked exasperatedly. "Are we just supposed to pretend nothing has changed?"

"That's up to you guys," she said, walking over and giving him a hug.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"OK, we got a location," Carson announced as she got back to the office. "He's here," she told the group, pointing to the spot on the map.

Don started delegating, getting everybody ready to move out. Soon, the only ones left in the room were Don and Agent Carson. When she made a move to go get ready as well Don stopped her.

"What do you think you're doing?" She turned to look at him.

"My job," Carson answered firmly.

"Not this time," Don told her, just as firm.

"And why the hell not?" she asked as he started walking away. He turned and glared at her.

"Because I said so. If he or anyone else in the 18th Street gang recognizes you, you blow your case." Agent Carson glared back at him.

"Look, I can keep my face hidden. Now, no offense to Reeves, but she doesn't know this guy like I do. He's snapped, he proved that by way he killed Michaels. If things hit the fan, she won't be able to talk him down, but there's a chance he might listen to me. Face it, you need me there."

_Damn, she's right_, Don thought. He sighed in defeat, he couldn't argue with her logic.

"Fine, but keep your face hidden," he warned. "I don't want the U.S. Attorney on my ass cause I let you blow your cover."

"Fine," she agreed, leaving to get ready.

Don ran his hand through his hair as she left. Shaking his head, he leaned over the table.

"You know who she reminds me of?" Megan asked from the doorway.

"Who?" Don asked, not looking up at her. He didn't really wanna know, but she would've told him anyway.

"You." This got Don to look at her. "She's just as stubborn and determined as you are."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

All the teams were in place, they had the house surrounded, and bystanders were out of harms way. Megan was setting up a communication link to Gonzalas. Colby and David had gone around back to prevent him from escaping that way. Once Don was sure that everybody was in place he gave Megan the go ahead.

"Benny Gonzalas? This is Megan Reeves with the FBI. Can we talk?" A few shots were fired out the window of the house. "Look, we're not here to hurt you, w-"

"No, you're her to arrest me!" he shouted. "Well, guess again!" He fired a few more shots.

"We don't want anyone to get hurt here. Why don't you and me just talk? Can I come in? We won't hurt you." There was silence for a few minutes.

"Fine, but no more than 5," he agreed.

"OK, we're coming in now."

Don, Megan, and Agent Carson started into the house. Colby and David moved in from the back. Gonzalas reluctantly let them in, but made sure to stay away from the doors and windows. There were about six other gang members with him.

"How 'bout you lower your guns and earn some trust," Gonzalas said. Megan did, but she was the only one.

"Alright, you know we can't do that. We just wanna talk," Megan tried.

"So talk."

"We know about your son, we know why you killed Michaels." Gonzalas looked away for a second, but then regained his control.

"You don't know anything!" he spat.

"We know if he hadn't had that hospital closed down your son might still be alive. That is why you killed him isn't it?" Gonzalas' anger filled his face.

"I killed him cause he was a dirty cop killing kids!" he yelled, pointing his gun at Megan.

Don had his gun on Gonzalas in a second. Carson caught his eye though. She looked as if she was getting ready to move. Don shook his head slightly, telling her not to move. She glared at him, but complied.

"Let's just calm down," Megan said, trying to talk him down.

"I'm done being calm," Gonzalas growled. In an instant, Carson had holstered her gun and removed her hat and sunglasses. Don cursed under his breath.

"Benny, wait!" she warned, moving in front of him. He looked stunned to see her.

"Sam?" Gonzalas asked warily, still shocked. She nodded. "You're a fed?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, now I need you to listen to me," Carson told him firmly. He shook his head in disbelief.

"You lied to me this whole time!"

"Look, the guy you killed was my partner," she continued, ignoring his shock. "I didn't know what he was up to, and I'm sorry about Tommy. But you have got to calm down.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Gonzalas yelled at Carson. "You have no idea what I'm feeling right now!"

"You're right, I don't know what you're feeling, but I do have an idea." Carson started to take a step toward him, but he kept his gun on her so she stopped. "You loved your son more than anything, I get that."

"How? How can you understand that? You can't!" Carson motioned with her hands for him to calm down.

"Because I know how much I love my son, and if anything ever happened to him I'd be devastated." Everyone in the room was staring at her.

_What the hell does she think she's doing?_ Don was thinking as she continued.

"I know you want revenge, but Agent Michaels didn't kill your son." Gonzalas moved toward her, gun still pointed at her head.

The FBI agents in the room started to make a move, but Carson told them not to.

"He's the reason my son is dead," Gonzalas told her menacingly. Carson shook her head.

"No he's not," she told him calmly. "I read the report Benny. Your son was in a car accident, accidents happen. It was no one's fault."

"He would've been fine if he'd made it to the hospital," Gonzalas told her, starting to lose control of his emotions. Carson made another move toward him, this time he didn't stop her.

"Benny, I talked to the doctors. Even if he'd made it to the hospital, there was only a 30 chance he would've been fine. They said with all of hisinjuries, he would've probably never come out of a coma."

Gonzalas started tearing up, and dropping his gun, sank to the floor. Don gave the signal for everyone to move in as Carson got the gun away from Gonzalas.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

After filling out a bunch of paper work, and trying to deal with the fact that Agent Carson happened to be his little sister, Don decided to stop for a drink. He didn't come to this bar that often, usually only after a rough case. This one had been interesting, to say the least. To top it off, he'd just found out the young agent he'd been working with was his sister.

Sitting there, drinking his beer, Don was left alone with his thoughts. _I cant believe mom and dad had another kid. And gave her up? That doesn't sound like them. Though dad did say the Carsons had been trying for a long time, since before me and Charlie. Charlie... I guess they did have their hands full with him. Another kid would've added to that. _Trying to reason why his parents had given her up, Don was already on his second beer. His thoughts strayed back to what Megan had said earlier. '_You know who she reminds me of?...You. She's just as stubborn and determined as you._' Thinking about that, Don knew Megan had been right. _Megan was right, I thought the same thing when I met her. I guess that's why I liked her so much. She reminds me of me. She's even as sure of herself as Charlie is of himself when it comes to numbers._ Don smirked at that thought.

"What's so funny?" a familiar voice behind him asked.

"Just thinking," he replied as she sat down beside him. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you apparently," she told him, motioning to both their drinks.

"Apparently," he said sarcastically. "So, you come here often?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"My day."

"And today is one of those days?"

"Yep." She smiled as he chuckled at her.

"So, how's your case?" he asked her seriously. She looked over at the bartender, ordering another drink, before she answered.

"I have a meeting with the U.S. Attorney tomorrow. So, I'll find out then." He nodded.

Looking at her closer, Don could see the resemblance. _How could I have not seen it before?_ he was thinking as she noticed him staring.

"What?"

"Nothing," he answered, shaking his head.

"Bullshit."

"So, can I ask you something?" he asked, avoiding her gaze.

"Sure, why not," she agreed.

"How'd you talk him down? How did you know what was going to work? You knew Megan wouldn't know. I'm just curious as to how." She shrugged.

"I just thought about what would work on me if I was in his shoes," she answered honestly. Don slowly nodded his head, contemplating it.

"Why blow your cover though? Why not just let Megan try and, if that didn't work, let the snipers take him out?"

"My cover was probably gonna be blown anyway, I just sped up the process. Besides, I probably didn't have a case anymore either," she explained. "And he's a grieving parent, not a cold-blooded killer. He didn't deserve to die."

She started to get up and leave, but Don stopped her first.

"Hey Carson, you pull a stunt like that again, and it's probably gonna get you killed," he warned. She smiled.

"Is that coming from the boss or the big brother?" she questioned, giving him a look that told him she knew. He started to open his mouth, but she answered first. "Yeah, I know."

"How?" he asked, still looking at her, wondering how she figured it out. She just laughed.

"I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't notice the little things. Like the way Alan looked and acted around me, the way Charlie went from tolerating me to telling me to be careful, or the way you went from treating me like every other agent to trying to protect me. Plus, we do kinda look alike, and I heard Megan say I reminded her of you. Put everything together, do a little digging, and it's not that hard to figure out." They both chuckled. "See ya tomorrow."

"See ya tomorrow."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next day Don and Charlie were having lunch, at Charlie's insistence. While they were eating, Don noticed his brother was obviously nervous about something.

"OK, what is it?" Don finally asked.

"What is what?" Charlie replied innocently, trying to pretend he didn't know what Don was talking about.

"What is it that's bugging you?" Don's tone was agitated at best. "Why did you want to go to lunch? Obviously, they're the same thing. So, what is it?" Don repeated.

Charlie knew he wasn't going to get a simple 'I don't know what you're talking about' by Don. So, he gave in.

"I wanted to talk to you..." Charlie started. Don gave him a look telling him to go on. Charlie took a deep breath. "...about Agent Carson."

"What about her, Charlie?" Don asked cautiously, but still impatient. Charlie gazed at his brother.

"'What about her?'" Charlie repeated incredulously. "Don, she's our...our sister," he said, lowering his voice a little on the last part.

"Yeah Charlie, I know. I was there when dad told us, remember?" Don shot back sarcastically.

"So, what are we gonna do about it?" Charlie asked, a little shocked by Don's attitude.

"**We** do nothing. If she wants anything to do with us, she knows where to find us," Don retorted, getting up and walking away.

Charlie was a little stunned, but shook it off and got up to follow Don.

"Wait, she knows?" Charlie asked as he caught up with Don.

"Yes, Charlie, she knows," Don told him bluntly, turning to face his brother.

"How did she find out?" Charlie inquired, still unable to shake off his shock.

"She's good at her job, that's how she knows!" Don sighed. "Did you really think we would start acting different and she wouldn't notice?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Charlie shook his head. "Exactly. Now, can we move on?"

"You really aren't even the least bit curious about her? At least you got to work with her, but don't you want to know more about her?" Charlie asked incredulously. Don rolled his eyes.

"Of course I do!" He took a deep breath. "But Charlie, it's not that simple," Don explained. "If she wants to get to know us, then she'll find us." Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but Don held up a finger to silence him. "No, don't. OK, just leave it alone. Now I gotta get back to work. I'll see ya later."

When Don got back to the office he found Megan, David, and Colby talking with Agent Carson.

"Hey, so how'd it go?" Don asked her casually when he got over to the group.

"Gonzalas made a deal," Carson told him. "In exchange for a shorter sentence, he spilled his guts. Told us everything we needed to know."

"Congratulations." She smiled at him.

"Yeah, that's great," David agreed. Megan nodded.

"I still can't believe the look on his face when he saw you," Colby put in. "He had no clue. That look was priceless." They all started laughing.

"Yeah, it seems like something Don would do,"David added. Receiving a look from Don he continued. "What I meant was, if I didn't know any better, with the way you both act, I'd swear you guys were related."

Don and Carson shared a quick glance at one another before anyone noticed. They then went back to the conversation acting like normal.

After about another twenty minutes, Carson said she had to get back. She said goodbye to everyone, but when she got outside Don called after her.

"Hey Carson!"

"I really need to get back to work," she told him, continuing walking.

"Will you slow down a sec?" Don asked, trying to catch up. Unsuccessful, he tried calling after her again. "Sam!" When that didn't get a response, he tried yet again. "Samantha!" She stopped and turned to face him in an instant. It startled him so much he had to take a step back.

"What?" she asked, definitely agitated.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a second," he replied calmly.

"OK, what'd you wanna talk about?" she questioned, much calmer now. Don took a deep breath.

"Well..." he started hesitantly. She stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "Uh... dad wanted me to ask you something." She looked away for a second, but Don caught the flicker of emotions across her face.

When she looked back it was back to the cold, emotionless mask she wore most of the time.

"OK, what'd he want you to ask me?" she inquired calmly.

"He wanted to know if you'd come over for dinner." Don tried to gauge her reaction, but there wasn't one that could be read. "You can bring Brian too, the invitation is for both of you." When he still couldn't read her face, he continued. "Look, I know it's weird and everything. Trust me, it's weird for me too, but -" He stopped abruptly when she held up her hand.

"Don't," she said simply. "OK, Don? Just don't."

"Why not?" he asked before she had the chance to turn and walk away. Sam sighed.

"Look, I've taken care of myself, and another human being for that matter, for a long time. OK? I'm used to it. I like my life, I like my job, I have a great kid, but -"

"But you think getting to know your family will change that?" Don guessed. She shook her head and sighed.

"No, it's not that. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Just...weird," she admitted. "After years of it just being me and Brian, no other family, I'd accepted that, and now I have a father and two brothers. And to top it off, I find this out while working a case with one of my brothers, while the other is consulting on it. It's just a little weird! I'm allowed to have my issues here," she finished exasperatedly.

"Yeah, and I get that," he told her. "I'd have my issues too! The thing is I do get it, but dad feels guilty and I seriously doubt Charlie is going to let this drop." He saw the look she was giving him. "Dad feels guilty about him and mom giving you up, especially since your parents died when you were a kid. And Charlie's...well, Charlie. He's stubborn, and even though I told him to let it go I doubt he will." Sam sighed.

"Brian's at a friend's house tonight," she told him. Don could hear the defeat in her voice, but smiled anyway, he did want to get to know her after all.

"That's OK. Might be easier for you."

"I doubt it," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, so do I," Don agreed. They both smiled, chuckling.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The hustle and bustle inside the Eppes house was almost getting to be too much for Don. Watching his father and brother rush around was starting to give him a headache. He knew his father was doing all of this because he felt guilty, and he wanted to get to know his daughter better. Charlie, on the other hand, after getting after his brother for not telling him this was what their dad had asked Don to get her to do, was rushing around trying to help their dad as much as possible. Don understood Charlie was still trying to process it all, but he thought the guy's brain was on overdrive since he was talking nonsense a mile a minute, making him harder to understand than usual.

"OK, you guys seriously need to calm down," Don told the pair.

"What are you talking about? I'm just helping dad set the table," Charlie replied, still talking fast. Don could tell how nervous he was.

"We're just trying to make it so she'll feel comfortable. I want this to go well," Alan told his son.

Don sighed. He sympathized with them, he really did, he wanted it to go well too, but they were starting to drive him crazy.

"Yes, and I understand that, but you two are running around like the place is on fire or something," Don retorted. Alan glared at him. Taking the hint, he decided to just let them do their thing. "OK, fine. I'm gonna go outside and get some air."

When Alan and Charlie nodded absentmindedly he decided to head out front for some quiet. When he opened the front door he noticed Sam walking away from the house.

"Hey, where you going?" Don joked lightly, seeing how tense she was.

"This was a bad idea," she told him, and continued walking.

"Hold on," Don said, catching up and grabbing her arm to stop her. She gave him a stare, and he could tell how difficult this was for her. "Just wait a second, OK? What's wrong?"

"I can't do this," she admitted, trying to shake him off, unsuccessfully.

"Sure you can," he told her confidently. Sam looked him in the eye.

"Oh yeah, what makes you so sure?" she asked seriously.

"Because you're too damn determined," Don responded flatly. "I'm pretty sure if you wanted to do something, and it's possible, you could do it. And this is possible, and if you didn't want to do this you wouldn't have agreed to it."

They stared at each other for a minute.

"You suck," she told him bluntly. Don smiled.

"But I'm right," he teased. She stuck her tongue out at him, causing them both to laugh. "Come on, let's get inside before they drive themselves crazy."

Sam sighed, but didn't fight him as he led her inside.

"Hey, look who I found," Don announced as he and Sam got into the living room.

"I'm so gonna kick your ass for this," she whispered. Don chuckled, even though he knew she was serious.

"Hey, dad's just getting the meatloaf out of the oven," Charlie told them as he came in the room. "Hi," he said nervously to Sam.

"Hey Charlie," she smiled back.

"You like meatloaf right?" Charlie asked her. She could detect the worry in his voice.

"I see what you meant about driving themselves crazy," Sam whispered to Don, who smirked and tried to hide his amusement. "Yeah Charlie, I like meatloaf, I'll eat pretty much anything," she assured him.

"Sounds like someone else I know," Alan commented as he entered the living room, sending a pointed look to Don.

"What?"

The dinner seemed to be going well enough, at least after a while of awkward silence and weird small talk. They seemed to be moving away from uncomfortable and awkward to a little more comfortable, slowly relaxing.

"So Brian's at a friend's house?" Alan asked his newly rediscovered daughter.

"Yeah, he need to get out and have some fun," Sam replied. "Personally, I think he studies way too much, but at least he's enough like me to know how to relax and have fun."

"Well, the studying must pay off, he's really smart," Charlie said, sounding very much like a teacher. Alan, Don, and Sam all smirked at his tone.

"I don't really think it's necessarily studying as much as it is that he just remembers reading all that stuff," Sam told him. "Which is probably my fault," she added, shaking her head.

"Why's that?" Alan asked. He was happy she was sharing things about her life with them.

"Because when he first started reading he didn't want to read the normal bedtime stories, just my college textbooks."

"You let him read your textbooks?" Don asked in disbelief. "I didn't even read my textbooks." Alan sent him a disapproving glare, to which he shrugged, it was true.

"Yeah, I didn't that much either," Sam told him, chuckling. "But when you've been up working your ass off for sixteen hours, have a ten page paper to write, and you've got a five year old who won't go to sleep, you'll try anything."

"Very true," Alan agreed.

"So how exactly did going to school and being a mom work?" Charlie asked, genuinely curious as to how she pulled it off.

"I dunno," she shrugged. "I played basketball in high school, with a little time off of course, but with that and my grades I was able to get a full ride. I was able to afford an apartment working in the afternoons and weekends, when we didn't have a game. So, I dunno, I just did."

"Wow," Charlie muttered.

Don smiled. _Megan was right, she is determined._

"How old were you...uh..." Alan started nervously. Sam smiled.

"When I had him?" she finished. Alan nodded. "Fourteen when I found out I was pregnant, fifteen when he was born." She smiled at their faces. "What can I say? I was kind of a wild child. But then again, Brian was probably the best thing that ever happened to me."

As they finished eating and talking Charlie had excused himself when the others went to watch the game. He went out into the garage and started working on an equation he was doing for Larry. He was so absorbed in his work he didn't notice Don and Sam standing in the doorway an hour later.

"Hey, you remember what you said in the office that day you first saw Charlie?" Don asked Sam quietly. She looked at him suspiciously.

"Yeah," she answered slowly. "Why?" He pointed over to the shelf where she saw some rope and duck tape. "Oh, that's why." They broke into identical mischievous grins.

"Hey Charlie, what's up?" Don asked casually as they entered the garage.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Just working on something for Larry," Charlie answered, slowly becoming aware of things besides numbers. He became very aware when he noticed what was in their hands. "Uh...what are you two doing?" he asked cautiously.

"Nothing," they replied, but started chasing him as he realized and tried to run.

"Should we help him?" Amita asked Alan and Larry. They were now standing in the doorway watching the scene.

"Nah," Alan replied. Larry nodded his agreement.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, this is probably the end. I've kinda lost my inspiration for this story. I have a couple more ideas, so I could do a few more chapters. But that's up to you guys. If I get enough responses to write a couple more chapters then I will. Otherwise, this is it. So, review and let me know what ya think! Reviews are appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	13. Author's Note

Okay, I know I said I kinda lost my inspiration for this story, but I did have a few other chapters in mind. Well, those few other chapters are more a story of their own. So, I'm doing a sequel. Check it out please!

Sequel: Ghosts of Our Past


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